Found a Dead Parakeet

If I had only been paying closer attention to the back alley maybe I would have seen it before it met its fate (probably crushed by a passing car). It was probably attracted by the bird seed I lay out. I just didn't see it in time.

Cutting The Big Branch - August 8, 2024

Before.  I recall the late 90s, when this oak tree was growing like a weed.  I knew there would a cost from this tree branch eventually.  The branch leaned over and arced over the roof.  I thought it would eventually come in contact with the house as it bent over from the rapidly-growing weight, but the branch also grew upwards, so it never quite came in contact with the house.  Oak trees are very sturdy, and the branch didn't collapse as other, more-brittle tree branches did from the other tree growing next door did.  Still, I was uneasy.  That's tons of wood over the house!

Before.  Tons of wood above me.  I got in contact with this tree person via the husband of an actress with whom I had been on stage back in 2012.  A team of four people came out.  Three of them entered the back yard at the same time Jasper did, and I worried Jasper might nip them, but I was also holding Jasper's leash.  Jasper was so enthralled by the idea of taking a walk that he completely-ignored the presence of three total strangers in the back yard.  Amazing, that dog's focus!

The Wood Chipper.  I'm thinking of the movie "Fargo."

The Wood Chipper in action.

Dismantling the big branch.  The workers are tromping all over the roof.  I hope there isn't too much damage up there.  I need to replace the roof, but that won't happen before the next rainy season.

Lots and lots of wood!

After. Tons of wood, gone!

After.

Danny The Cat Returns Home to Gabe and Eleanor

Five days later, like nothing ever happened.

Slay!

Harriet Tubman? Why not?

Looking For Gabe's Lost Cat

Gabe's indoor cat Danny slipped out the door when Gabe wasn't looking, and vanished. We've all been looking for Danny ever since. Here I am on the pedestrian bridge over Highway 99 behind Gabe's house. No cat here, though.

Petsitting For Gabe

Soggy South Carolina

Rainfall for the last three days in southern South Carolina, eastern Georgia, and the northeastern corner of Florida. Amounts top ten inches in many places. Hurricane Debby has left one soggy mess.

The Stalker Tour

The Republicans just have no public-relations sense anymore. Sending Vance on a “Stalker Tour” is just BAD, and creepy. Whose idea was this? Probably reality-show Jabba the Hutt himself.

The rollicking Harris-Walz lovefest was in sharp contrast with Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance’s dour appearance in Philly earlier in the day. Vance is scheduled to trail the pair to all the swing states they plan to visit this week. What is Donald Trump doing, sending his weirdo running mate out to stalk the charismatic Democratic duo, like a hangdog ex-husband? The low-energy Trump has exactly one event this week, in the critical swing state of… Montana.

On Tim Walz’ Qualifications

@off_jawaggon Political figure: Minnesota governor and candidate for Vice President, Tim Walz! #timwalz #minnesota #mn #politicalfigure #presidentseries #minneapolis #minnesotacheck #vicepresident #harris #kamala ♬ Get Low - Lil Jon & The East Side Boyz

Vance is DJT’s Bear

Not Weird At All

Cumulative Rainfall In Tampa Area From Hurricane Debby

Cumulative 48-hr precipitation in the Tampa, FL, area from Hurricane Debby. North of Tampa, amounts are in the 5 to 7 inch range. The wettest area was southeast of Tampa, with 12 to 14 inch amounts.

 

Gilbert and Sullivan's "Ruddigore" - Light Opera of Sacramento - August 3, 2024

I was pleased to see this show. I was surprised that the song "My Eyes Are Fully Open" was in this show, since it's also in the later show "The Pirates of Penzance." It's very popular and one of the most difficult songs I've ever heard of in English. 

I was also surprised how many people I knew in the show: Martin Lehman as Sir Despard Murgatroyd of Ruddigore, Eve Nyren, Krissy Schwerin, and Keith Gray. Don Draughon was supposed to be in the show, but he was apparently sick. 

Here is "The Pirates of Penzance" version of "My Eyes Are Fully Open." I saw this performance live by Opera Australia in 2006, in Brisbane, Queensland, AU.

 

"Bloody Bethy" Memorial Service - August 3, 2024

It came as a shocking surprise to hear that Bethany Hidden, "Bloody Bethy," twin sister of Brianne Hidden, had passed away shortly before her 40th birthday. On Saturday, her family and friends had a memorial service at the Colonial Theater on Stockton Boulevard in Sacramento.

Bethany was well-known in the Sacramento Horror Community, and her reputation extended beyond.  I was pleased that Joe Bob Briggs sent a message of support.

Even though I saw Bethany in several musical-theater shows, I was in only one show with her, in "Tommy" in March, 2001 at DMTC in Davis. Some of the people visible here include (left to right): Jackie Clauson, Bethany Hidden, David Holmes as 'Tommy', Jason Stevens, Eva Saur, ?, and Aaron Gaines.

Tommy's "Sensation" - Some of the people visible here include (left to right): Lori Ann DeLappe, Tony Rodriguez, Marc Valdez, Molly Ringle, Jeremiah Lowder, Amy Schoedel, David Holmes, Pheonix Vaughn, Brandon Rowan-Taylor, ? Bethany Hidden, Charlotte Hartshorne, Heather Donaldson, Pati Martinez, Kyle Hadley, ?, and Eva Saur.

The first part of the Bloody Bethy Memorial Service finished with Alex Hogy’s story of how the age difference between himself and Beth sometimes led to confusion, with Beth sometimes mistaken as his girlfriend or his mom. Here is his rendition of “Girlfriend/Mom,” to the tune of Fountains of Wayne’s “Stacy’s Mom” (posted by Sarissa Thornhill).

   

Here is a second video:
 

The second part of the memorial service featured a screening of Bethany's favorite movie, "Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2." 

Here is the slideshow video featured at the service (posted by Elizabeth Dean):

Approaching the Colonial Theater.

People arriving for the get-together.

A nice turnout!

Various Bethy memorabilia.

Programs from various shows she was in.

The merch table of various horror items.

Opening remarks by Rob Robertson.

It’s Tough Getting Ghosted

You're Right and I'm Right and We're All Right

I wanted to expand a bit on points I was making in another thread about the Olympics Opening Ceremony controversy. There is a bit of brilliance there that needs to be better appreciated. (I still haven't fully watched the ceremony - I didn't realize that it was my job to lay eyes on the French and watch them.) 

Apparently (and let me know if I'm wrong) the Last Supper tableaux drag show was an ongoing event in Paris - just a regular part of Parisian life. Then they decided to add the singer playing Dionysus, as a special guest, for the Olympics opening ceremony only. 

So, after the fact, show management denies it was a Last Supper show, and they are right: it wasn't. And the drag queen ensemble says it was a Last Supper show, and they are right: it was. Everyone is right, no matter what they might say. 

There's no need for anyone to coordinate talking points, no one can discredit what anyone did, and there are no conspiracies worth mentioning. No matter what anybody might say about their participation in the show, they are always right. Finding fault is as hard as nailing Jello to the wall. 

It's show-business Teflon of the finest quality - like modern-day chain mail. It's brilliant! We need more of this!

And that is why Bardin, who performs as the drag queen Paloma, felt it was meaningful and important to be part of a Paris Olympics opening ceremony that presented a multifaceted, multiethnic France with people of different ethnicities and orientations. 

“It was a really important moment for the French people and the representation of France around the world,” says Paloma, who took part in a single scene that has drawn some furious criticism — including from presidential candidate Donald Trump in the United States, who called it “a disgrace.”

How Is It Your Tableware Is In My Dining Room?

Living With Addition

There IS hope!

The Joke is on Vance

I’m surprised Democrats are playing in this sandbox, and succeeding at it too. This used to be a MAGA-kind of thing, working with complete fictions. Democrats prefer facts, but the times, they do seem to change. 

Democrats are going to kick Republican asses hard in November! 

I like this quote:

Rick suggested Vance making love to a couch may best be viewed as what Werner Herzog has described as the "ecstatic truth" — in Herzog's words, "a kind of truth that is the enemy of the merely factual," encompassing falsehoods that "make some essence of the man visible."

Merit Is Scarce Among All These Peckerwoods